The present invention is a mattress comprising a plurality of pocket springs. Each of the pocket springs comprise a coil pocket and a first cushion pocket. The coil pocket comprises a pocket and a coil spring disposed therein. The first cushion pocket comprises a pocket and a resilient member disposed therein. The first cushion pocket is disposed above and acts directly upon the coil pocket. The mattress may further comprise a second cushion pocket disposed below the coil pocket. The second cushion pocket comprises a pocket and a resilient member disposed therein. The second cushion pocket is engaged with and acts directly upon the coil pocket.
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1. A spring unit comprising:
a first pocket spring comprising a coil pocket comprising a pocket and a coil spring disposed in said pocket and a cushion pocket comprising a pocket and a resilient member disposed in said pocket of said cushion pocket; said cushion pocket being engaged with and acting upon said coil pocket; said pocket of said coil pocket comprises a side portion, a bottom portion, and a top portion; said side portion extends from said bottom portion of said coil pocket to said top portion of said coil pocket; said pocket of said cushion pocket comprises a side portion, a bottom portion, and a top portion; said bottom portion of said pocket of said cushion pocket is connected directly to said top portion of said pocket of said coil pocket;
a second pocket spring comprising a coil pocket comprising a pocket and a coil spring disposed in said pocket of said coil pocket of said second pocket spring; said second pocket spring further comprising a cushion pocket comprising a pocket and a resilient member disposed in said pocket of said cushion pocket of said second pocket spring; said cushion pocket of said second pocket spring being engaged with and acting upon said coil pocket of said second pocket spring; said pocket of said coil pocket of said second pocket spring comprises a side portion, a bottom portion, and a top portion; said side portion of said pocket of said coil pocket of said second pocket spring extends from said bottom portion of said pocket of said coil pocket of said second pocket spring to said top portion of said pocket of said coil pocket of said second pocket spring; said pocket of said cushion pocket of said second pocket spring comprises a side portion, a bottom portion, and a top portion; said bottom portion of said pocket of said cushion pocket of said second pocket spring is connected directly to said top portion of said pocket of said coil pocket of said second pocket spring;
substantially the entire length of said side portion of said pocket of said coil pocket of said first pocket spring is engaged with substantially the entire length of said side portion of said pocket of said coil pocket of said second pocket spring;
said pocket of said cushion pocket of said first pocket spring is completely spaced apart and free from said pocket of said cushion pocket of said second pocket spring thereby allowing circulation of air.
2. The spring unit of
3. The spring unit of
4. The spring unit of
5. The pocket spring of
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9. The pocket spring of
10. The pocket spring of
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This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/134,406 filed on Mar. 17, 2015, now pending, which is hereby incorporated into this specification by reference in its entirety.
Referring to
U.S. Pat. No. 2,236,007 discloses a Marshall Type Spring having fiber stuffing added into the core of the pocket coil spring to help absorb forces placed upon the actual pocket coil spring by absorbing some of those forces in the fiber filling material.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,266,745 discloses a Marshall Type Spring employing a fill material, including foam or fiber, residing in the pocket with the spring coil, to reduce and eliminate noise and prevent the fabric that surrounds the spring from getting sucked inside the pocket when a person gets onto or off of the bed.
What most pocket coil mattresses have in common is that the coil spring, contained in an individual fabric pocket, lies under a sheet or multiple sheets, of padding and cushioning material that provide initial loading softness, a softer sleeper feel, help in reducing localized high pressure interface points, reduce the sensation of lying directly on a metal spring, and help conform to body contours. Mattresses of this type are often flipped at some time interval to help mitigate and eliminate the problems associated with getting body imprints in one or more of the cushioning layers from the sleeper repeatedly lying in a similar position night after night.
Referring to
An additional problem of the indentation well effect occurs for a second sleeper utilizing the same mattress at the same time as the primary sleeper. The second sleeper can often be subjected to the indentation well effect of the primary sleeper and be subjected to forces that draw that sleeper into the same sleep space as the primary sleeper. Obviously, the inverse is also true and the primary sleeper can be drawn into the indentation well effect created by the secondary sleeper. Both of these situations result in a situation in which neither sleeper is able to get comfortable in his or her own space due to shortcomings in the way that sheet cushioning material behaves in a current mattress configuration.
A further shortcoming of the sheet cushioning above the pocket coil is that the sheet cushioning material takes on a trampoline effect when loaded from above. Rather than just acting as a cushioning material to provide initial loading softness, a softer sleeper feel, help in reducing localized high pressure interface points, and help in conforming to body contours, the sheet cushioning is often additionally acting like a trampoline and exhibiting its own spring effect. The magnitude of the trampoline effect usually correlates closely with the tensile strength of the cushioning material. The cushioning material is being held in place above pocket coil springs that are not being compressed and is resisting downward defection in areas that are being subjected to compressive forces due to the lateral, in plane, tensile strength of the material. In essence, the sheet cushioning material is acting like a spring unit in its own right due to the tensile strength trampoline effect. This effect is often at odds with the desire of the cushioning material to provide an initial softness to the sleeper. Concerning hospital and nursing home mattresses, a significant problem concerns patients developing decubitus ulcers from increased mattress interface pressures. A goal of the sheet cushioning above a pocket coil core in a hospital mattress is to reduce decubitus ulcer formation by reducing localized high patient interface pressures. However, the trampoline effect exerted by the sheet cushioning layers above the coil unit works to adversely impact this goal.
An added deficiency associated with sheet cushioning above the pocket coil concerns delivery of the mattress. It is well known within the industry that mattresses are normally shipped in a flat configuration in either a horizontal or vertical orientation. Bending the mattress during initial delivery and setup often results in mattresses being damaged and returned. Often the failure mechanism within the mattress is the result of the sheering, permanent dislodging, or deformation of the sheet cushioning material. Furthermore, the need to ship mattress in a flat orientation adds to both the expense and logistics involved in mattress shipping. Often it requires two men and a truck to deliver a mattress to a consumer. It would be inherently advantageous to be able to roll up and compress mattresses for shipping and eliminate the costs associated with shipping a flat mattress. Additionally, the cost of storage in terms of floor space for both the manufacturer and retailer would be greatly reduced if the mattress could be stored in a rolled up and compressed format.
An existing problem when sleeping on different sheeted cushioning materials, especially different types of foam including, but not limited to, polyurethane, latex, and memory foam, is that they have a tendency to cause the sleeper to feel uncomfortably warm or hot when lying on the mattress. This is partially due to the fact that many of these sheeted cushioning materials have insulating properties that restrict body cooling for those sleeper's body parts that are in direct contact with the mattress. Couple this property with the very nature of a sheet of cushioning material's inhibition of airflow through or around the cushioning material makes the cooling problem worse. The inability of a sleeper to properly regulate their temperature, coupled with the fact that a sleeper's wake-up mechanism is partially triggered via internal temperature regulation, can make the inclusion of sheeted cushioning materials in pocket coil mattresses a significant factor in poor sleep quality associated with the mattress.
One of the major causes of mattress failure is a degradation of the sheet cushioning materials. This is a direct result of fatigue softening that is particularly dominant in sheet foam cushioning materials that are subjected to shear loads consistent with sleeper forces exerted on the mattress. Over time and successive loading, the foam starts to lose its ability to resist compression. This degradation of the sheet cushioning materials has led mattress manufacturers to recommend flipping the mattress to mitigate and delay this degradation.
The sheet cushioning also acts to trap dust, dust mites, and potentially other microorganisms. Over an extended period of time this can become a serious health hazard, especially to those individuals who are highly allergic or immunosuppressed. Additionally, hospitals and nursing homes mitigate this problem by covering the mattresses with barrier fabrics.
One object of the present invention is to provide a mattress that was not prone to formation of indentations.
Another object of the present invention was to develop a mattress that allows air circulation in the core of the mattress providing a cooler mattress for sleeping.
Another object of the invention was to develop a mattress having pocket springs that allow the softness or hardness of the mattress to be selectively controlled.
Another object of the present invention was to develop a mattress that could be easily fabricated as a one sided or two sided mattress and with potential different comfort profiles for each side.
Another object of the invention was to develop a mattress that better isolates sleeper movements.
Another object of the invention was to develop a mattress that eliminates sheet cushioning layers that are subject to shear forces from sleeper compressive loads and their resultant premature failure resulting in a longer life mattress.
Another object of the invention was to develop a mattress that replaces the sheet cushioning with individually encased foam cushion pockets. Since the cushioned pockets are individually encased in a fabric, and the cushion pockets are inherently impervious to trapping dust, dust mites, and other microorganisms, the health hazards associated with sheet cushioning materials on conventional mattresses are substantially reduced.
Another object of the invention was to develop a mattress that reduces the quantity of cushioning material from between 20% to 25% relative to an existing pocket coil mattress that utilizes sheet foam cushioning material, thereby reducing corresponding cost and weight associated with the additional sheet cushioning material. This is accomplished by utilizing the improved pocket coil spring that has cushioning material that only lies directly above the spring unit in the cushioning pocket.
Another object of the invention was to develop a mattress that eliminates sheet cushioning layers that have been linked to the development of decubitus ulcers in patients in nursing homes and hospitals.
The present invention is a mattress comprising a plurality of pocket springs. Each of the pocket springs comprise a coil pocket and a first cushion pocket. The coil pocket comprises a pocket and a coil spring disposed therein. The first cushion pocket comprises a pocket and a resilient member disposed therein. The first cushion pocket is disposed above and acts directly upon the coil pocket. The mattress may further comprise a second cushion pocket disposed below the coil pocket. The second cushion pocket comprises a pocket and a resilient member disposed therein. The second cushion pocket is engaged with and acts directly upon the coil pocket. The present invention provides significant benefits over conventional mattresses. First, the pocket springs significantly reduce the formation of indentations thereby providing a new mattress with increased comfort and useful life than conventional mattresses. Second, the pocket springs provide better air circulation than conventional mattresses thereby resulting in the sleeper sleeping cooler. Third, the pocket springs allow the softness or hardness of the mattress to be selectively controlled thereby resulting in more mattress choices for consumers. Fourth, the pocket springs allow a single sided or a two sided mattress to be easily fabricated. Fifth, the pocket springs minimize the transmission of sleeper compressive forces in the plane that is orthogonal to that of the pocket springs helping to better isolate sleeper movements. Sixth, the pocket springs eliminate sheet cushioning layers that are subject to shear forces from sleeper compressive loads and their resultant premature failure, resulting in a longer life mattress.
The following description of the present invention will be better understood with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
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The present invention provides significant benefits over conventional mattresses. First, the use of pocket springs 90 significantly reduce the formation of indentations thereby providing a new mattress with increased comfort and useful life than conventional mattresses. Second, the use of pocket springs 90 provide better air circulation than conventional mattresses thereby resulting in the sleeper sleeping cooler. Third, the use of pocket springs 90 allow the softness or hardness of the cushion pockets above individual coil pockets to be selectively controlled thereby resulting in greater mattress customization choices for consumers desiring more complex cushioning profiles. This is achievable by varying the contents, dimensions, or number of cushion pockets within a string of pocket springs. Prior to this invention, it was possible to only vary the coil spring parameters on a coil by coil basis, but not the characteristics of the sheet foam cushioning material on a coil by coil basis. Fourth, the use of pocket springs 90 allow a single sided or a two sides mattress to be easily fabricated because the cushioning material is built into pocket springs 90 and does not require additional steps to insert and secure sheet cushioning material during the mattress fabrication. Fifth, the use of the pocket springs 90 minimizes the transmission of sleeper compressive forces in the plane that is orthogonal to that of the pocket springs helping to better isolate sleeper movements. Sixth, the use of the pocket springs 90 eliminates sheet cushioning layers that are subject to shear forces from sleeper compressive loads and their resultant premature failure, resulting in a longer life mattress. Seventh, the use of the pocket springs 90 eliminates sheet cushioning layers and replaces it with individually encased foam cushion pockets. Because the cushioned pockets are individually encased in a fabric, they are inherently impervious to trapping dust, dust mites, and other microorganisms, the health hazards associated with sheet cushioning materials on conventional mattresses are substantially reduced. Eighth, the use of the pocket springs 90 eliminates sheet cushioning layers and consequently reduces the quantity of cushioning material from between 20% to 25% relative to an existing pocket coil mattress that utilizes sheet cushioning material, thereby reducing corresponding cost and weight associated with the additional sheet cushioning material. All sheet cushioning material that lies between the pocket coils of a conventional mattress are eliminated by use of the pocket springs 90. Still further, pocket springs 90 allow the fabrication of a mattress without sheet cushioning layers that have been linked to the development of decubitus ulcers in patients in nursing homes and hospitals.
Accordingly, and by way of example only, the present invention is a mattress comprising a coil pocket comprising a pocket and a coil spring disposed therein. The mattress further comprises a first cushion pocket comprising a pocket and a resilient member disposed therein. The first cushion pocket is engaged with and acts directly upon the coil pocket. The first cushion pocket may be disposed above and juxtaposed to the coil pocket. The first cushion pocket is configured to produce a force. Substantially all of the force is transmitted to the coil pocket. The mattress may further a second cushion pocket comprising a pocket and a resilient member disposed therein. The second cushion pocket is engaged with and acts directly upon the coil pocket. The second cushion pocket may be below and juxtaposed to the coil pocket. The pockets of the coil pocket and the first and second cushion pockets are made from fabric. The coil spring may be a multi-rate coil spring. The resilient member may be a foam cushion. In another embodiment, the second cushion pocket may be engaged with and act directly upon the first cushion pocket. In this embodiment, the second cushion pocket is above and juxtaposed to the first cushion pocket. In another embodiment, the present invention is a spring unit comprising a first pocket spring and a second pocket spring. The first pocket spring comprises a coil pocket comprising a pocket and a coil spring disposed therein and a cushion pocket comprising a pocket and a resilient member disposed therein. The cushion pocket is engaged with and acts directly upon the coil pocket. The second pocket spring comprises a coil pocket comprising a pocket and a coil spring disposed therein. The second pocket spring further comprises a cushion pocket comprising a pocket and a resilient member disposed therein. The cushion pocket of the second pocket spring is engaged with and acts directly upon the coil pocket of the second pocket spring. In this embodiment, the pocket of the coil pocket of the first pocket spring is engaged with the pocket of the coil pocket of the second pocket spring. The pocket of the cushion pocket of the first pocket spring may be spaced apart from the pocket of the cushion pocket of the second pocket spring thereby allowing circulation of air. The resilient member of the cushion pocket of the first pocket spring comprises an resiliency R1. The resilient member of the cushion pocket of the second pocket spring comprises an resiliency R2. In this embodiment, resiliency R2 may be greater than resiliency R1. The resilient member of the cushion pockets of the first and second pocket springs may each comprise a foam cushion or material. The cushion pocket of the first pocket spring may be disposed above and juxtaposed to the coil pocket of the first pocket spring. The cushion pocket of the second pocket spring may be disposed above and juxtaposed to the coil pocket of the second pocket spring. In another embodiment, the present invention is a method or process of fabricating a pocket spring. The method comprises the steps of: (a) providing a first pocket; (b) inserting a coil spring into said first pocket; (c) providing a second pocket; and (d) inserting a resilient member into said second pocket. The method may further comprise a step (e) of attaching the second pocket to the first pocket. Step (e) further comprises the step of attaching the second pocket above the first pocket. Step (e) further comprises the step of delinating the pocket of the first cushion pocket with the pocket of the coil pocket. Step (e) further comprises the step of thermal bonding the pocket of the first cushion pocket with the pocket of the coil pocket. In another embodiment, the present invention is a mattress comprising (a) a coil layer comprising a plurality of coil pockets and (b) a cushion layer comprising a plurality of cushion pockets. The cushion layer is positioned so at least one of the cushion pockets engages with and acts directly upon at least one of the coil pockets. Each of the coil pockets comprise a pocket and a coil spring disposed therein. Each of the cushion pockets comprise a pocket and a resilient member disposed therein. The cushion layer further comprises an attachment member. Each of the cushion pockets is engaged with the attachment member. The attachment member may be made of fabric. In another embodiment, the present invention is a method or process fabricating a mattress comprising the steps of: (a) providing a coil layer comprising a plurality of coil pockets; (b) providing a cushion layer comprising a plurality of cushion pockets; and (c) positioning at least one of said coil pockets to engage with and act directly upon at least one of said cushion pockets. The method further comprises a step (d) of attaching the second layer to at least one of the plurality of coil pockets. Step (d) further comprises the step of attaching the second layer above the plurality of coil pockets.
While particular embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the claimed invention.
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